NSW State Cup: Premier touch comp wins Sport NSW Community Event title

A drastically altered Port Macquarie State Cup competition which was hit hard by Covid regulations late last year has been named by Sport NSW as the 2020-21 Community Event of the Year.

Port Macquarie’s premiere sporting event, The NSW State Cup, has been honoured by Sport NSW for sensationally steering through the COVID headwinds to be named the state’s Community Event of the Year.

The competition, which very nearly didn’t happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was given a last-minute public health reprieve in November when NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced it could proceed — albeit in a revised format.

Given the large numbers of participants, and the requirements to adhere to the Public Health Orders and NSW Health exemption and advice, the event was played under the Arrive Play Leave Protocol.

The NSW State Cup took out the NSW Sport community event of the year

This meant no spectators and a split division of four-zones, with no more than 400 people in each zone.

The innovative workaround proved a popular ploy according to NSW Touch Football Association General Manager Dean Russell, who said many participants have even requested a similar format in future years.

“At that stage [November] we were under the 500-person limit rule, but we were able to secure that extension from the State Government,” he said.

“It was a really stressful and trying event, that we thought at the time went really well … to be recognised by Sport NSW as the community event of the year was just really gratifying for all of the staff.”

The event is a flagship sporting tournament for Port Macquarie

“To be honest, 99.9 per cent of the feedback we had from participants, if you took away having to be kept in zones and took away having to leave and not stop and watch the games, people loved the concept of playing their games back-to-to-back and finishing.

“People liked the idea of getting in, playing their games and then being able to relax for the rest of the day and go and experience the community like they did last year.

“There’s a silver lining to every dark cloud and there’s a lot of things people got out of it.”

The NSW State Cup was one of 10 awards announced last Thursday as part of the NSW Community Sports Awards, which highlights the contributions made by officials, coaches, administrators, teams, clubs, events and Councils throughout the year.

The NSW State Cup is Port's Premier event of the year

The State Cup usually attracts anywhere up to 250 teams, however it was capped to between 212-215 due to the stringent Covid measures.

It is, in all likelihood, going to follow a similar formation in 2021, Mr Russell said.

Carolyn Campbell, Sport NSW Chairperson, congratulated the NSW TFA for its exceptional achievement.

“While COVID-19 has impacted our lives in so many ways over the past 12 months, the role of community sport has been more vital than ever, helping restore and uphold the physical and mental health of the NSW community,” she said.

An announcement on this year’s event will be made later in the year.